Pemex Attracts Few Bids for Drilling Contracts

Poor Result Bolsters Calls for Overhaul of Mexico's Energy Laws

By

Laurence Iliff

Updated July 11, 2013 9:30 p.m. ET

MEXICO CITY—State-owned oil monopoly Petróleos Mexicanos failed to attract much interest for an important round of production contracts Thursday, bolstering calls for a profound overhaul of Mexico's energy laws to attract international oil majors capable of unlocking huge oil and gas reserves.

Pemex, as the company is known, assigned service contracts for just three of six blocks at the geologically difficult Chicontepec onshore...